If you’re on the hunt for an advanced audio equaliser for Ubuntu, you’re definitely going to want to check this app out.

It’s called PulseEffects and it’s an equalizer, limiter, reverb, and compressor that works with Pulseaudio, the default sound server in Ubuntu.

The app lets you adjust and modify the sound output from any app on a global or per-app basis using (among others) some Gstreamer effects. This means it can work with everything from the sound of YouTube and Netflix in your browser, to Skype chats, MPV movies, and SuperTuxKart soundtracks.

So, for example, if you’ve longed to have a Spotify equaliser or apply compression and reverb to Skype calls (drab work colleagues sound 100% when you make them sound like they’re lecturing form a cathedral) PulseEffects can help.

So long as the sound comes through Pulseaudio, PulseEffects lets you fine-tune it.

Igor, an OMG! Ubuntu! reader, tipped us to the app, mailing in to say:

“Hello, few months ago i was searching for equalizer for linux, it was really hard to find something good, but then I found Pulseeffects equalizer, Im using it from the start of the development and It’s the best equalizer for linux I’ve used, It has a lot of features and is developed by very good dev who adds something new almost everyday and listens opinions of people. I like this project and i want It to gain popularity, please test It and maybe write about this excellent program.”

Now, IAMAST (i am not a sound technician) so I won’t pretend I know precisely how to tune this app to make audio sound better, but with so many options, presets, limiters, gains, reverbs and other sliders and switches, I’m sure that it’s more than capable of doing so.

A free, open-source app like this seems like a no-brainer add-in for audiophiles amongst you. But with audio quality a largely subjective topic I make no promises that you’ll like what you hear!

Fun fact, I remember playing around with the equaliser on the front of the family HiFi when I was younger. I never really paid attention to what each slider and toggle did, but I hate how, after adjusting things, nothing would sound “right” again, even when reset to normal — so if nothing sounds right after playing with this app, don’t say I didn’t warn you!

Install PulseEffects on Ubuntu

It is possible to install PulseEffects on Ubuntu 16.04 LTS and above, but there are a few caveats involved.

The latest version of PulseEffects is not (that I can find) yet packaged for Ubuntu. If you want to run the very latest build you will need to download the source code from Github and manually compile it.

An older version of the app is available via an engorged third-party GNOME 3 PPA. As this personal package archive is chock-full of other apps, themes and libraries I recommend only downloading the PulseEffects package itself directly, rather than adding the PPA to your software sources: